When Does Money Buy Happiness? by Robin Trimingham

I realize that some of you read the title of this article and automatically bristled because we have long been taught that money does not buy happiness.

But is this a universal truth?

I would submit that it depends who you ask.

My dog Sunny, for example, thinks that the plastic bracket that he pried off the underside of my Ikea sofa is bliss itself.

He has a basket full of designer store bought chew toys but his unwavering love for random bit of plastic is priceless to watch, and the mischievous tail wagging grin that he gives me as he dares me to try and retrieve it from him before diving behind the sofa with it firmly in his jaw – there are no words.

Just look at the photo of him at the top of this article. How do you discipline someone that cute with a straight face? I tell you, it can’t be done.

And what did I pay for this ongoing source of entertainment?

Now that’s a more difficult question. On the one hand, he did find this prize treasure around the house so you might argue that it was free, but sofa brackets don’t grow on trees and it wouldn’t have been in the house unless I had purchased the sofa.

I see it now, a new marketing campaign for the ever practical Ikea corporation in the making: “world’s best sofa complete with free doggie chew toy. Just $399 – get yours today”.

Did we both get our money’s worth out of this sofa purchase?

You betcha!

Would I buy another Ikea sofa?

Why on earth would I need to do that? There are five more perfectly good plastic brackets just waiting to be devoured.

What has this got to do with money buying happiness you ask?

Did you smirk even once reading this?

You did? Gotcha!

By reading this and cracking even the faintest grin you have not only proved my point, you have shared in my universal happy sofa experience. And … the more people who are touched by this article, the more valuable my sofa purchase becomes; just as the more Sunny chews on his plastic treasure, the more it becomes his prize possession.

So what did I learn from all this?

Maybe you can’t buy happiness, but you sure can buy a new sofa (which is apparently the same thing if you ask my dog).

So if you are feeling blue and nothing seems capable of cheering you up – redecorate! Your dog with thank you. (g)